October 7 Treason Claims: Defense Minister Refuses Denial

Speaking at a ynet conference, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz conspicuously avoided issuing a clear denial of conspiracy theories surrounding the October 7 Hamas massacre. His remarks came amid a political storm triggered by recent comments from Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who raised questions about opposition leader Yair Golan's movements on the morning of the attack.

When asked directly about Sara Netanyahu's insinuations regarding Golan, head of the Democrats partym and his suspiciously early arrival in the south that day, Katz sidestepped a straightforward answer. The defense minister said he doesn't "consume media" and only addresses what he knows from official investigation materials.

Katz acknowledged that the failure surrounding October 7 was severe enough to explain what happened, but repeatedly refused to categorically dismiss the possibility of betrayal. According to the defense minister, senior Hamas officials coordinated closely with Hezbollah and Iran, and defeated the Gaza Division according to the "Jericho Wall" plan—a strategy he said was never reported to political leadership.

"From what I know from the material I've seen, the failure is deep enough that it explains what happened there," Katz emphasized. Yet despite this careful phrasing, he declined multiple opportunities to rule out treason. His persistent evasion of an explicit denial left both the audience and media with troubling questions about what exactly the defense minister knows and what he prefers not to reveal.

The controversy stems from Sara Netanyahu's explosive interview on Channel 14, in which she publicly questioned Golan's early presence at the attack site. "When you're a military man of such high rank, claiming you fought on October 6th and 7th, you were already there early in the morning, already dressed and ready. At a very, very early hour, when others didn't know, such as the prime minister," she said.

Though she stated she wasn't "party to any theories" and called for establishing "a real commission of inquiry," merely raising the issue prompted a sharp legal response. Golan sent her a pre-litigation warning letter demanding a public apology and 2.5 million shekels in compensation to be donated to survivors of the Nova music festival massacre.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved quickly to dismiss the treason theories swirling around his wife's comments. "Nonsense dressed up," he said, referring to her remarks. He characterized October 7 as a massive failure rather than betrayal, explaining that warning signs were present the night before and morning of the attack, but officials decided, due to miscalculation and concern about provoking Hamas, not to wake him or launch a preemptive strike.

"It's a failure, but it's not treason. It happens. Unfortunately it happened with terrible costs, but it's not treason and my wife also didn't say there was treason. It's just nonsense," Netanyahu concluded. His explicit denial stands in stark contrast to his defense minister's evasive stance on the same question.

Beyond the domestic political turmoil, Katz presented an uncompromising strategic assessment regarding Iran. The defense minister declared that Israel destroyed Iran's nuclear program and it has not been restarted since. He praised the IDF's capabilities and stated firmly that Israel is well-prepared to defend itself: "If they attack us, we will respond with great force, without dependence on anyone."

These statements come against the backdrop of ongoing tensions with Iran and reflect an effort to project a resolute position in the face of the nuclear threat.